What do plastic bags, gumboots, corrugated iron and dirty nappies all have in common? They have all turned up in kerbside greenwaste bins in Whakatāne recently. Whakatāne District Council Solid Waste Manager, Nigel Clarke, says that while the vast majority of people understand that the greenwaste bins are solely for garden waste - like lawn clippings and tree prunings - some are still putting non-compostable material in the bins.

"If any food waste or any of the above items end up in our truck, we may have to send the whole load to landfill," Mr Clarke says. "So we keep a pretty close eye on the bins and if we identify any items that shouldn’t be there, then the bin will not be emptied and a sticker will be placed on it to advise why."

Mr Clarke says that people have to realise that simply putting items in the greenwaste bin and taking an 'out of sight, out of mind' approach is not sustainable. "We need the public's help to keep our greenwaste green and ensure that it can be composted. If we have to send it to landfill, that's not only bad for our environment, but the transport and disposal costs also have to passed on to ratepayers."